Portland power outage as snow turns to rain

Austin Flukinger, 15, of Astoria, Ore., attempts an aerial dismount from his sled after launching off a ramp made out of snow at Astoria Middle School on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The amount of actual snowfall varied across the state, but traffic accidents and clogged roadways were the norm across a northern strip of the state that extended from the coast to the Cascades and included the northern lowlands in the Willamette Valley.

PORTLAND, Ore. — About 30,000 households in the greater Portland metro area are without power Wednesday morning because of power lines felled by a winter storm that moved in overnight.

The storm brought some snow to the Portland area but it changed to rain and the snow quickly began melting, leaving a slushy mix on the roads, cars and trees.

Portland General Electric says about 30,000 customers are without power, mainly in Gresham, Oregon City and western Portland. The utility is working to restore service.